Immigration and Ireland - MEGATHREAD *Read OP for mod warnings before posting*

They spent so long defending the illogical. I have asked the respective ministers how many many EU nationals are living here being social housed and receipt of social welfare who have never paid tax here. I was told on the housing front there are not figures because it’s handled at the local authority level. I was directed to a circular drafted in 2012. No confirmation on the numbers in receipt of social welfare with no tax paid. We are not obligated to provided either in an ongoing basis.

I'm sure we provide a lot of aid abroad. Would give us certain leverage.

Surprised nobody here talking about the latest news which shows numbers seeking asylum has dropped quite a bit (more than 40 % ) this year here and across the EU generally .

Down to stronger processing increased rejections of those from safe countries , deportations of those who refuse to leave themselves and all the other measures we have been discussing for 3 years now , is it ?

This is good news , if it continues and hopefully our housing and services will be back on track likewise .

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0411/1507037-asylum/&ved=2ahUKEwjKxK_VhNCMAxVnUEEAHbviPIQQvOMEKAB6BAgTEAE&usg=AOvVaw0vKp86pJSAdj1OuMkdCd1A

Edited to correct error

I saw that… but what surprises me more is that they are still opening more IPAS centres… why is that? If numbers are dropping and deportations are up why are we still opening IPAS centres?

So that they can accommodate those that are here and being processed without putting them in hotels I would think ..you know like being prepared as we had all been suggesting they should be ?

It will ease the situation as regards future IPAS as well . This is not going away just hopefully better managed .

you mean keeping building IPAS centres in rural areas. At the moment Sligo, Clonmel, Sallins are the 3 places I know about where huge capacty IPAS centres are under construction which will house over 500 asylum seekers each and in the case of Clonmel it is 1500. Smaller areas like Carna, Kinvara, Ougterard are having their only hotel or their only nursing home taken over to house asylum seekers. THIS is the result of the ECJ ruling that Ireland cannot use a lack of housing as an excuse not to take more migrants. Why can the Government not stand up to them and say "lads we have nothing, even for our own people, we will pay the fine (out of the Apple money)"!

If there was an Irexit tomorrow and it meant we no longer were obliged to bow and scrape to the EU I'd vote for it. To hell with prosperity and everyone having the newest EV, the biggest house with windows from floor to ceiling, cappuccinos at €6.50 a pop, 2nd properties being run as AIRBNB's ……simplicity and community are what matter especially in a world that has become so uncertain.

Is it really better now being part of the EU? Our kids are emigrating at an alarming rate DESPITE our supposed wealth, despite our booming economy, despite being highly educated. Nothing has changed. Surely the basis of a healthy society is where people can have a family and expect to see that family grow up and welcome the next generation. There should be continuity, people to hand the farm or a business down to. Yes travel is good but for experience rather than the depressing fact our kids will never get a house in this country so they emigrate. If you're single you're really screwed.

Look at New Zealand, they are an island the size of Ireland but they are completely autonomous! You don't see their young emigrating in droves. You don't see them welcoming hundreds of thousands of migrants, you don't see them building IPAS centres and destroying their tourism sector.

Way ot and deserved of its own thread, but over the last 5 years I've grown to hate what the EU has become and the overreach into people's and individual states lives.

A huge amount of our political woes, particularly immigration policy, stem from bad decisions in Brussels, that don't benefit citizens here in Ireland or any other member state.

The influx of migrants into Ireland is a direct consequence of bad policies, in Brussels and by leaders such as Merkel, by encouraging massive inward miragntion, and having an everyone welcome mindset. The lack of EU control the external borders and not stemming the flow from the south and east over the last 10 years has lead us to where we are.

we don't control anything, that much is evident, we've been a soft touch on migration for too long.

According to one TD, the Department of Housing has spent €1.6 million on cars for use by members of the Ukrainian community, which has been described as “utterly astonishing” and “financially indefensible” by Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn.

In a parliamentary reply from Minister James Browne, the Cork North Central TD says he was informed that the Department funded the purchase of eight cars under the Community Car Initiative (CCI) supporting the Offer a Home scheme for beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine.

“The explosive information I have received today will further consolidate the perception that an egregious level of double standards was applied with respect to the provision of supports for Ukrainians and the wall of indifference and tightening of the purse strings that many other communities or organisations met when it came to seeking funding for travel connectivity,” O’Flynn said.

https://x.com/independent_ire/status/1910701774870085752

TD Ken O'Flynn - Govt confirms it paid €1.6 Million for cars for Ukrainian Community: “utterly astonishing, financially indefensible, and the tip of a very expensive iceberg”

‘Essentially a gold-plated chauffeur service while Irish voluntary organisations are left begging.”

Costs of €1.6 million incurred by the Department of Housing; Local Government and Heritage for the purchase of cars for use by members of the Ukrainian community have been described as “utterly astonishing, financially indefensible, and the tip of a very expensive iceberg” by Independent Ireland Chairman and TD for Cork North Central Ken O’Flynn.

Deputy O’Flynn was speaking after Minister James Browne confirmed to him in a parliamentary reply that his department funded the purchase of 8 cars under the Community Car Initiative (CCI) to support the Offer a Home scheme, which sought the use of unoccupied homes to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine:

“The explosive information I have received today will further consolidate the perception that an egregious level of double standards was applied with respect to the provision of supports for Ukrainians and the wall of indifference and tightening of the purse strings that many other communities or organisations met when it came to seeking funding for travel connectivity.”

“I want to emphasise that the €1.6 million in costs in no way reflects the full extent of the financial burden placed upon the taxpayer as it does not include the employment costs for the drivers who were contracted to deliver the service. I and my team are currently collating that data and we will make it available when that work is done.”

“This will infuriate people, especially here in Cork when see our own Cancer Connects, that has a network of approximately 430 voluntary drivers covering the entirety of Cork County basically having to beg and borrow for an increase in multi-annual funding of €50,000. Yet here we have a scheme whereby the Department handed over an average of €200k per car for what was essentially a personalised chauffeured transport scheme for the Ukrainian community, irrespective of how the minister wants to characterise.”

“There will certainly be more to follow on this story as I am absolutely determined to expose and highlight the hidden costs that the Irish taxpayers have had to carry for gold-plated schemes that exhibit this level of financial favouritism.”

There is something seriously seriously rotten with our country.

Why are we constantly giving out everything to IPAs, Ukrainians on a silver platter while Irish people are just scratching to make a living.

I work my ass of day in, day out and nothing is handed to me but these people just show up and get cars, this is so wrong on so many levels.

I use to be a big supporter of Ukrainians coming to Ireland for protection but my eyes opened up when I saw the benefits and they just kept coming and coming, basically benefit tourists and no wonder when we're giving them cars.

The whole situation of immigrants in Ireland takes the piss at this stage, it's so rotten to the core. You don't hear about it but the immigration industry has to be one of the biggest industries in ireland at this stage and it only caters to the 1%

Ukrainians have been bombshell out of their homes, many of them are bereaved.

I’d be very much of the view that Ireland needs less immigration but I can’t share any outrage age about helping these desperately unfortunate people.

yes, absolutely hilarious, the lads coming in knowing full well they won't be deported are absolutely rolling around in laughter at our rules and legislation.

They are of course legitimate immigrates BUT it's absolutely ridiculous the benefits they were on and of course this drove more and more to come.

We gave them 220 euro a week

We gave them medical cards

Paid for their housing

Paid for their animals to come

Paid for repairing their cars

Bought cars for them

and I suspect many more

How is this fair to the Irish tax payer?

must be that Friday feeling, why you find everything hilarious, or maybe the sun got to you. If you can't see how EU policy has an impact on the the amount of migrants that end up on our island, I can't help you. You're free to contuine thinking everything is rosy and we're masters of our own destiny.

This might be a better article to read because it gives the details but explains in a less anxiety provoking way than that crvp news outlet .

Firstly it gives the date which is nowhere to be found in the Gript one ..2023 .

Secondly it explains why ...Ukrainian were being housed in unoccupied houses in remote parts of the country and had no public transport in those areas to get to shops and schools .

"Minister Browne concluded by saying the scheme was ‘wound down’ at the end of 2023 following a review and “as part of a wider move for BoTPs to become more independent within communities.”"

Today's Irish Independent (link won't copy )

Government spent €1.6 million on Ukranian car scheme

The aspect of the Cancer Care Network is very true however and very annoying that those people have to organize their own funding to drive people for treatment . They should be funded shouldn't they I think we would all agree ?

But would that make them an evil government funded NGO ?